Mortality rate at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) reduced significantly from 15.9 per cent in 2017 to 11.3 per cent between April and July this year.

Additionally, neonatal admissions at the hospital increased from 1,834 in 2017 to 1,854 in July 2018.

All this happened four months after the new Baby and Mother Unit at KATH had been constructed through the initiative of the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Adoo.

Following the construction of the new facility, pre-term admissions have increased from 494 in 2017 to 516 so far this year.

The Chief Executive of KATH, Dr Oheneba Owusu-Danso, made these known during the mid-year review of the hospital’s activities in Kumasi on Wednesday.

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The review was aimed at, among other things, mapping up strategies to deal with some of the challenges facing the hospital and improve on its current achievements.

Dr Owusu-Danso said the hospital pursued a number of interventions during the half-year to improve on its services, including the repair of the Siemens C. T. scan at a cost of GH¢188,600 and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which had enabled the hospital to render full stream radiological services.

Equipment

Furthermore, he said, a number of equipment were procured during the half-year to improve patient care and general operations of the hospital.

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Among the equipment were a new electric dryer for the hospital’s laundry unit, purchased at GH¢135,000; two ultrasound machines and probes at GH¢367,000 and patient monitors at GH¢250,000.

Dr Owusu-Danso said the hospital had awarded a GH¢5.4-million contract for the procurement of two new oxygen plants with the capacity to serve all the requirements of patients and for the sale of medical oxygen to other health facilities.

Sickle cell

He said the period also saw the commencement of the construction of the first phase of the Sickle Cell and Blood Centre.

The project is being executed by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana with a $4.5-million funding from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

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Flat

Dr Owusu-Danso also reported that work was progressing steadily on the construction of a 40-flat housemen’s block at Bantama.

So far, the hospital had spent GH¢1,151,459.74 on the project, which is about 38 per cent complete, he said.